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Cliff Fletcher
George Clifford "Cliff" Fletcher (born August 16, 1935) is a National Hockey League executive and is a former general manager of the Atlanta Flames/Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Phoenix Coyotes. He is currently a senior advisor to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Some of his nicknames are the "Silver Fox" and "Trader Cliff".
Fletcher started his career in 1956 for the Montreal Canadiens as a scout under Sam Pollock, then later became the general manager of the Verdun Blues junior team.
He joined the expansion St. Louis Blues in 1966 as a scout for Eastern Canada and worked his way up to the assistant GM position. With Fletcher's help, the Blues advanced to the Stanley Cup Final in each of their first three years, a feat unmatched to this day.
Fletcher's general manager career started in the Central Hockey League with the Kansas City Blues when he was awarded the top job in January 1971 during a mid-season shake-up that also saw John Choyce appointed as the team's new head coach. In 1972, he accepted the opportunity to run an NHL team when offered the GM position in Atlanta.
Fletcher joined the newly minted expansion Atlanta Flames team as general manager, remaining with the Flames in that capacity through and after the team's move to Calgary, Alberta in 1980. Over the next 10 years, he oversaw the Calgary Flames to two Smythe division titles, two Clarence S. Campbell Bowls as Campbell Conference champions, and two Presidents' Trophies, given to the team with the best NHL regular season record. During his tenure in Calgary, he was the first GM to bring a player from the Soviet Union when Sergei Priakin played in 1988. The Flames won the Stanley Cup Championship in 1989 against the Montreal Canadiens.
He also served as the GM of Team Canada for the 1981 Canada Cup.
Fletcher moved to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1991, to serve as chief operating officer, president and general manager. He made a blockbuster trade with Doug Risebrough, his successor as the Flames' General Manager, sending Gary Leeman, Michel Petit, Jeff Reese, Craig Berube, and Alexander Godynyuk to the Flames for Doug Gilmour, Jamie Macoun, Ric Nattress, Rick Wamsley and Kent Manderville on January 2, 1992. That year, Fletcher also hired Pat Burns as head coach for the upcoming season.
Fletcher's hiring occurred shortly after the death of longtime Leafs' owner Harold Ballard. To his undoubted benefit, unlike Ballard the team's new owners had no desire to meddle in hockey operations, thus giving Fletcher a free hand in managing the team. The positive impact on the Toronto team was immediate. During the 1992–93 season, his second year as GM, the Leafs set team records with wins (44) and points (99), while Gilmour emerged as a superstar and scored a franchise-high 127 points. During the postseason awards ceremony, Gilmour finished as runner-up for the Hart Trophy and won the Frank J. Selke Trophy as best defensive forward, while Burns won the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year; the first major NHL individual awards that Leaf players had won since 1967. Fletcher himself was named as the "Man of the Year" and the "Executive of the Year" by The Hockey News in 1993.
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Cliff Fletcher
George Clifford "Cliff" Fletcher (born August 16, 1935) is a National Hockey League executive and is a former general manager of the Atlanta Flames/Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Phoenix Coyotes. He is currently a senior advisor to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Some of his nicknames are the "Silver Fox" and "Trader Cliff".
Fletcher started his career in 1956 for the Montreal Canadiens as a scout under Sam Pollock, then later became the general manager of the Verdun Blues junior team.
He joined the expansion St. Louis Blues in 1966 as a scout for Eastern Canada and worked his way up to the assistant GM position. With Fletcher's help, the Blues advanced to the Stanley Cup Final in each of their first three years, a feat unmatched to this day.
Fletcher's general manager career started in the Central Hockey League with the Kansas City Blues when he was awarded the top job in January 1971 during a mid-season shake-up that also saw John Choyce appointed as the team's new head coach. In 1972, he accepted the opportunity to run an NHL team when offered the GM position in Atlanta.
Fletcher joined the newly minted expansion Atlanta Flames team as general manager, remaining with the Flames in that capacity through and after the team's move to Calgary, Alberta in 1980. Over the next 10 years, he oversaw the Calgary Flames to two Smythe division titles, two Clarence S. Campbell Bowls as Campbell Conference champions, and two Presidents' Trophies, given to the team with the best NHL regular season record. During his tenure in Calgary, he was the first GM to bring a player from the Soviet Union when Sergei Priakin played in 1988. The Flames won the Stanley Cup Championship in 1989 against the Montreal Canadiens.
He also served as the GM of Team Canada for the 1981 Canada Cup.
Fletcher moved to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1991, to serve as chief operating officer, president and general manager. He made a blockbuster trade with Doug Risebrough, his successor as the Flames' General Manager, sending Gary Leeman, Michel Petit, Jeff Reese, Craig Berube, and Alexander Godynyuk to the Flames for Doug Gilmour, Jamie Macoun, Ric Nattress, Rick Wamsley and Kent Manderville on January 2, 1992. That year, Fletcher also hired Pat Burns as head coach for the upcoming season.
Fletcher's hiring occurred shortly after the death of longtime Leafs' owner Harold Ballard. To his undoubted benefit, unlike Ballard the team's new owners had no desire to meddle in hockey operations, thus giving Fletcher a free hand in managing the team. The positive impact on the Toronto team was immediate. During the 1992–93 season, his second year as GM, the Leafs set team records with wins (44) and points (99), while Gilmour emerged as a superstar and scored a franchise-high 127 points. During the postseason awards ceremony, Gilmour finished as runner-up for the Hart Trophy and won the Frank J. Selke Trophy as best defensive forward, while Burns won the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year; the first major NHL individual awards that Leaf players had won since 1967. Fletcher himself was named as the "Man of the Year" and the "Executive of the Year" by The Hockey News in 1993.